Marni's Creative Director Francesco Risso On Collaborating With UNIQLO

The biggest phenomenon in fashion right now is collaborations between brands—and for good reason. From Fendi to Versace and Gucci to Balenciaga, almost everywhere you look there’s a capsule collection combining the house codes of two or more luxury labels resulting in an inimitable lineup. Pieces from these collections often feature never-seen-before elements, making them even more covetable. And the latest collaboration between MARNI and UNIQLO is no different. For this spring/summer collection, MARNI’s creative director Francesco Risso reimagines the Japanese retailer’s simple silhouettes into something fun and whimsical.

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In this collection, one can look forward to a lineup that’s bold, colourful and overflowing with childlike irreverence. It fuses both UNIQLO’s smart and technical designs with MARNI’s idiosyncratic style, defined by unique silhouettes, and multicoloured graphic prints. Think raincoats with colourful, hand-drawn flowers and uneven painted checked print on bubble hem skirts and dresses as well as tailored men’s jackets, shirts and pants sporting more of the same treatment.

Also, it has been reported that the partnership is ongoing. This means fans can expect more UNIQLO LifeWear pieces reinterpreted with MARNI’s house codes in time to come.

Ahead, MARNI’s creative director Francesco Risso speaks on collaborating with the global retailer, his inspirations for the collection, creative process and more. 

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Tell us what first came to mind when you were approached for this collaboration.

I’ve been hugely excited about it since the very start. I really think this collaboration with UNIQLO comes at the best possible moment, because I see it as an additional step in the trajectory we’ve taken over the past two years. Little by little, we have readdressed all our processes to take the brand closer to people, to push it beyond the constricting templates of fashion and present MARNI authentically by engaging with and through the people in dialogue with the brand.

Tell us about the inspiration behind the concept for this collection. 

Creatively, we’ve taken a very precise direction throughout the process, with the ambition to shape a wardrobe that’ll be treasured and shared. We explored the notion of LifeWear through our very own experience and perspective and reimagined a wardrobe that an entire family—or chosen family family—could share and exchange. We have tried to translate that sense of ease and familiarity, too, through the photographs, lensed by Jamie Hawkesworth, that present the collection.

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Tell us more about the original patterns of hand-painted checks, flowers, and stripes.

MARNI stands for colours and prints—and it always has. For this collection, though, we wanted to inject our floral prints with a slight sense of nostalgia and our signature ginghams. But with an artistic flair, transposing MARNI’s creative energy in brush-stroked lines.

How did you approach creating this collection?

Throughout the entire process, we have tried to champion UNIQLO’s ethos and the integrity behind the brand’s vision; giving our interpretation of UNIQLO’s LifeWear through a slightly out-of-the-box proposition that combines impeccably crafted clothes with MARNI’s offbeat and life-embracing spirit.

Tell us more the aesthetic choices made in the lineup.

The collection launches in May this year, so we looked at colours that we thought represented summer by combining bold shades of red and cobalt with warm, earthy tones of khaki, ecru and olive green. Prints punctuate the range, connecting the collection chromatically in a mix of textures and monochromes.

Beside colours and prints, which are indeed very MARNI, the collection features some of my own signatures: Grunge-inspired striped tees, wrinkled pyjamas shirts and slouchy tailoring. And the combinations of bright and mellow colours, interspersed with a subtle ’70s nostalgia.

What is your favourite piece from this collection?

Probably the silky pyjamas–that I can’t wait to wear myself.

Tell us about the campaign visuals concept.

I think that bonds are at the core of human experience—delineating our essence. Through our work, and what we share with each other as we create, we define a framework that is dense with meaning. I consider MARNI both a destination and a platform for people that share the same values, it’s a brand in constant dialogue with the people around it—and isn’t that the very definition of community?

See our favourite pieces from the collection, with prices, here.

The Marni x UNIQLO collection is slated to launch on Thursday, May 26, 2022, in the United States, with staggered releases in other countries—including Singapore. Stay tuned as we bring you more updates on this exciting collaboration.